Labonte Plans End To His Racing Career

THE MORNING BUZZ

October 13, 2004

Terry Labonte, 47, announced plans Tuesday to run just 10 races a year for the next two NASCAR Nextel Cup seasons and to make 2006 his final year of competition. Labonte will drive the No. 44 Chevrolet for car owner Rick Hendrick beginning next season. "This is going to be an effort where we can look at racetracks we think we can win at," Labonte said as he made the announcement in Charlotte, N.C. "We are putting together a genuine effort to try to win races." He likely will avoid the superspeedways at Daytona Beach and Talladega, Ala.

TENNIS: VENUS A WINNER IN RETURN

Venus Williams defeated qualifier Alina Jidkova 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in her first match since losing in the fourth round at last month's U.S. Open. In other action, Elena Dementieva beat Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-3.

The PGA Tour will start the 2005 season along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, with the first two stops in Hawaii followed by the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. The tour released its '05 schedule Tuesday, featuring 48 events that begin Jan. 6 on Maui at the Mercedes Championships and end Nov. 6 in Atlanta at the Tour Championship.

Complete schedule, D9

OLYMPICS: ATHENS TV VIEWING SETS RECORD

The Athens Olympics broke global TV viewing records, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said. He said that 3.9 billion people watched an Olympic broadcast at least once during the Aug. 13-29 games, beating the previous record of 3.6 billion viewers for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

MORE OLYMPICS: The IOC's medical director has a warning for athletes who think they can get away with doping: There's a good chance you will be caught. Dr. Patrick Schamasch said the growing number of banned substances and improved tests have raised the stakes for athletes who gamble with performance-enhancing drugs. "The room for cheaters is getting smaller and smaller every day," he said during the FINA World Sports Medicine Congress in Indianapolis. Schamasch said the anti-doping effort will continue to expand. He said nearly 2,800 blood and urine samples were tested at the Athens Olympics. A record 24 athletes were caught, and five refused tests.

HOCKEY: GORING TO COACH IN GREECE

Former New York Islanders coach Butch Goring was hired as coach of Germany's DEG Metro Stars, a professional team in the country's Elite League. He signed a 1-year contract.

YACHTING: NEW ZEALAND TEAM WINS

Team New Zealand won the second pre-regatta for the 2007 America's Cup because it was ahead in the standings when the final day of racing was canceled due to light wind. Team New Zealand, routed by Alinghi of Switzerland in the 2003 America's Cup, finished with 11.5 points, one point ahead of Italy's Luna Rossa. San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing was third in the match-race competition.

SOCCER: URUGUAY TIES, IS 6TH IN QUALIFYING

Two-time champion Uruguay was held to a scoreless tie by Bolivia, and Saudi Arabia beat Indonesia 3-1 in World Cup qualifying. The tie put Uruguay in sixth place in the 10-team South American qualifying race with 11 points. Bolivia is in eighth place with 10 points. The top four teams in the group will play in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, and the fifth-place team will face the Oceania champ for another berth.

MORE SOCCER: England captain David Beckham said he drew a foul intentionally in Saturday's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Wales. He knew he already would miss the next game because he broke a rib. "It was deliberate," Beckham said in British newspapers. Under international rules, a player who picks up two yellows in qualifying is automatically suspended one game. An FIFA spokesman said soccer's world governing body did not rule out possible disciplinary action against Beckham for unsportsmanlike contact.